Canteen cup insulator

ABSTRACT

The canteen cup insulator of the present invention implements an insulating layer that can be deployed in conjunction with the standard military issue canteen and cup. The canteen cup insulator is most preferably manufactured from a durable material that has at least some insulating value. The exact nature and thickness of the insulating material may vary depending on the specific application. The canteen cup insulator may be selectively attached to and removed from the canteen cup, thereby providing insulation for the canteen cup. Additionally, the canteen cup insulator has an integral “foot” formed around the lower edge, thereby providing a wider base and additional stability for the canteen cup and liquid contents during use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the use of portable waterstorage devices and more particularly to an apparatus used inconjunction with a standard military-style canteen.

2. Background Art

The use of portable water storage containers such as the flask and thecanteen is well known, with many varieties being made available for useall over the world. One of the most well known versions is the standardmilitary issue canteen employed by the military forces of the UnitedStates of America and other countries as well. The standard design ofthis canteen has not changed for decades and is well known to all thosewho have served in the various branches of the military. The canteen isused to store and transport water or other beverages so that the user ofthe canteen will have ready access to liquids on an as-needed oras-desired basis.

In one of the most commonly known embodiments of the standard militaryissue canteen, both the canteen and the cup have a substantially roundedkidney-shaped or reniform cross section, thereby adapting the canteenfor deployment in conjunction with a belt to be worn on the hip. In thismost basic form, the canteen is typically fitted with a screw on lid andthe canteen is removably placed into the form-fitting cup portion. Theform-fitting cup portion may be used to contain liquid poured from thecanteen, thereby providing liquid for consumption. The reniform crosssection provides a canteen may be worn against the waist/hip of a humanand thereby provides for a canteen that can be comfortably carried onthe hip in close proximity to the body.

While the basic design of the standard military issue canteen has beenbroadly accepted over the years, the presently known military canteen isnot without certain drawbacks. This situation is evidenced by the largenumber of accessory objects that have been developed for use with thestandard military issue canteen. For example, cups with foldable and/orretractable handles have been implemented. Various types of canteencovers, including insulated covers to keep the contents of the canteenhot or cold, have also been developed and implemented with some degreeof success. In addition, various types of heating elements,drink-through-the-cap straws, etc. have also been adopted in a widevariety of applications.

While these various adaptations for improving the functionality of thecanteen have shown various levels of adoption, some shortcomings remain.One feature of the canteen cup that leaves room for improvement isdirectly related to the typical construction associated with thestandard canteen cup. In order to produce a sturdy yet relativelylightweight product, most canteen cups are manufactured using athin-walled metal. Given the nature of the metal used in themanufacturing process, thermal conduction can lead to undesirableresults.

For example, once a warm or hot liquid is poured into the canteen cup,the liquid in the cup will generally begin to get colder through theprocess of thermal transfer. Similarly, if a cool or cold liquid ispoured into the canteen cup, the liquid will typically begin to warm up.In either case, the liquid that is poured into the canteen cup willgenerally reach the ambient temperature of the surrounding air inrelatively short order. This is true even for those situations where thebody of the canteen is protected by an insulated covering because thewalls of the canteen cup are typically fairly thin and the thermaltransfer from the air to the liquid in the canteen cup (or vice versa)is rapidly accomplished.

In addition to the lack of adequate temperature control for the liquidpoured into the canteen cup, the overall stability of the canteen cupand, by extension, the contents of the canteen cup, can be compromisedby the types of surfaces where the canteen cup may be placed. Forexample, it is not uncommon for the canteen cup to be used in the fieldby soldiers in less than accommodating conditions. Typically, thesoldier will place the canteen cup on rocks, logs, and sloping surfacessuch as the side of a hill, etc. In all of these situations, it ispossible for the canteen cup to be inadvertently tipped over, therebyspilling the contents of the canteen cup. This loss of liquid fromspillage is generally considered to be undesirable.

Accordingly, without some additional improvements in thestate-of-the-art for standard canteens and the associated canteen cups,including the well-known military issue canteen, access to andconsumption of liquid from the canteen will continue to be sub-optimal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The canteen cup insulator of the present invention implements aninsulating layer that can be deployed in conjunction with the standardmilitary issue canteen and cup. The canteen cup insulator is mostpreferably manufactured from a durable material that has at least someinsulating value. The exact nature and thickness of the insulatingmaterial may vary depending on the specific application. The canteen cupinsulator may be selectively attached to and removed from the canteencup, thereby providing insulation for the canteen cup. Additionally, thecanteen cup insulator has an integral “foot” formed around the loweredge, thereby providing a wider base and additional stability for thecanteen cup and liquid contents during use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter bedescribed in conjunction with the appended wherein like designationsdenote like elements and:

FIG. 1 is a prior art canteen and canteen cup combination; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a canteen cup and canteen cup insulatorin accordance with a preferred exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a canteen cup insulator in accordance with apreferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a close up view of a handle-engaging flap mechanism for acanteen cup insulator in accordance with a preferred exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The apparatus of the present invention implements a cover that can bedeployed in conjunction with the standard military issue canteen andcup. The canteen cup cover is most preferably manufactured from adurable and flexible food-grade material. The cross-section of the coverfeatures a ridge and groove arrangement that has been specificallyconfigured to receive the edge of the canteen cup, which typicallydefines approximately a 45° angle with the body portion of the canteencup. The cover may be selectively attached to and removed from thecanteen cup, thereby providing enhanced functionality for the canteencup.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a standard military issue canteen 110 and cup120 are shown. As shown in FIG. 1, the main body of canteen 110 isformed so as to be removably inserted into cup 120 whenever cup 120 isnot in use. This allows cup 120 to be easily carried with canteen 110and provides a certain ease of use when storing the combination ofcanteen 110 and cup 120. The combination of canteen 110 and canteen cup120 are typically carried in a belt container that is worn around thehips of the user. In addition, it is common for cup 120 to be providedwith a pair of wire handles 121 that can be used to hold cup 120 fordrinking. Wire handles 121 are typically affixed to the body of cup 120using one or more hinge configurations, thereby allowing wire handles121 to be folded flat against the body of cup 120 when not in use.

Lid 130 is typically a screw-type lid that can be removed to provideaccess to the interior of canteen 110. In normal usage, lid 130 isremoved from canteen 110 and a liquid is poured into canteen 110. Then,lid 130 is replaced, thereby securing the liquid contents of canteen110. Whenever the user wants to dispense liquid from canteen 110, lid130 is removed and the liquid contained within canteen 110 can beconsumed directly from canteen 110 or poured into canteen cup 120 andthen consumed from canteen cup 120. In either case, lid 130 will then beplaced back into position on canteen 110.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that canteen cup 120 typicallyhas a flared “lip” around the rim that protrudes outwardly from the bodyof canteen cup 120 at approximately a 45° angle. This lip serves severalpurposes. First, the outward protrusion of the lip provides an openingthat is tapered and slightly larger at the top than at the bottom ofcanteen cup 120. This allows canteen 110 to be easily inserted into theopen mouth portion of canteen cup 120. As canteen 110 is inserted intocanteen cup 120 by exerting a slight downward pressure, the slightlynarrowing body of canteen cup 120 will frictionally contact the surfaceof canteen 110, thereby providing a snug “holster” for canteen 110.Additionally, the outwardly protruding lip or edge of canteen cup 120provides a more functional drinking cup for the user of canteen cup 120.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a perspective view of a canteen cup insulator210 in accordance with a preferred exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention is depicted. As shown in FIG. 2, the most preferredembodiments of canteen cup insulator 210 will be substantially reniformin shape and will be formed from a sidewall 205 and will be sized toreceive canteen cup 120. The size and shape of canteen cup insulator 210are carefully selected so as to ensure that canteen cup 120 will fitsnugly and tightly into the opening of canteen cup insulator 210,thereby providing a “jacket” or insulating layer around the body ofcanteen cup 120. Sidewall 205 defines a substantially reniform shapewith an upper perimeter 206 and a lower perimeter 207. Upper perimeter206 is typically greater than lower perimeter 207. Foot 220 defines agraduated connection where lower perimeter 207 is connected to foot 220.

Canteen cup insulator 210 is most preferably manufactured from amaterial that is both durable and flexible. Those skilled in the artwill recognize that many insulative and non-insulative materials may besuitably employed for the fabrication of canteen cup insulator 210. Theuse of a durable material in fabricating canteen cup insulator 210 isdesirable so as to permit long-term usage of canteen cup cover 210without undesirable degradation of the performance of canteen cupinsulator 210. The use of a flexible material in fabricating canteen cupinsulator 210 is desirable so as to ensure that canteen cup insulator210 will fit snugly and securely around the body of canteen cup 120.

One suitable material for canteen cup insulator 210 is leather. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize that leather is a durable and pliablematerial that has at least some insulative capacity. Leather can bereadily adapted for use as canteen cup insulator 210 by methods wellknown to those skilled in the art. Another suitable material for use infabricating canteen cup insulator 210 is neoprene and other similarfoam-like materials. These materials, while less durable than leather,may provide more insulation for canteen cup 120. Other materials mayalso be used as well.

Foot 220 is provided to increase the stability of canteen cup 120 duringuse. Since the bottom of most canteen cups 120 are somewhat rounded,canteen cup 120 may be susceptible to tipping over when placed on anuneven surface. By providing foot 220 along the bottom ridge of canteencup insulator 210, a broader and more stable base is provided, therebyreducing the possibility of undesired spills. Foot 220 is a bottomsurface that has a perimeter that is slightly greater than the lowerperimeter of sidewall 205. In this fashion, foot 220 can providestability.

Flap 230 is attached to the sidewall of canteen cup insulator 210 and isa handle engaging mechanism that is designed to receive and selectivelysecure handles 121 of canteen cup 120, thereby securing canteen cupinsulator 210 to canteen cup 120. Additional details about using flap230 to securely attach canteen cup insulator 210 to canteen cup 120 arepresented below in conjunction with FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a rear view of a canteen cup insulator 210 inaccordance with an alternative preferred exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention is depicted. In addition to the previouscharacteristics of canteen cup insulator 210 described in conjunctionwith FIG. 2, canteen cup insulator 210 most preferably comprises an aflap 230. Flap 230 is attached to canteen cup insulator 210 by aconnection point 212. Connection point 212 acts as a hinge and allowsflap 230 to be selectively positionable for additional attachment tocanteen cup insulator 210 at fastening point 211.

Connection point 212 may be a permanent or semi-permanent connectionpoint. For example, if a leather material is used to fabricate canteencup insulator 210, then connection point 212 may be a simple seam thatis formed by traditional leather stitching techniques. Alternatively,connection point 212 may be a standard hook-and-loop mechanism such asVelcro® or similar material, thereby allowing flap 230 to be completelyremoved from canteen cup insulator 210. The most preferred embodimentsof the present in invention employ a relatively permanent connection forconnection point 212, thereby ensuring that flap 230 is notinadvertently detached from canteen cup insulator 210, therebypreventing the loss of flap 230. Those skilled in the art will recognizethat many other suitable materials and mechanisms are available for thisuse and no such materials are excluded by the lack of explicit referenceto these materials herein.

Fastening point 211 is somewhat similar in function to connection point212 inasmuch as it allows for the attachment of flap 230 to the bodycanteen cup insulator 210. However, in the most preferred embodiments ofthe present invention, fastening point 211 is not a permanent connectionbut allows for selectively attaching and detaching flap 230 to the bodyof canteen cup insulator 210. For example, in the most preferredembodiments of the present invention, fastening point 211 is a simplesnap. Alternatively, fastening point 211 may also be implemented as astandard hook-and-loop mechanism such as Velcro® or similar material.The selectively attachable nature of flap 230 at fastening point 211allows the user of canteen cup insulator 210 to secure canteen cupinsulator 210 to canteen cup 120 at desired times while also providingfor the removal of canteen cup insulator 210 from canteen cup 120 whendesired.

When canteen cup insulator 210 is to be attached to canteen cup 120,flap 230 is detached from fastening point 211, and repositioned or movedaway from the body of canteen cup insulator 210, thereby exposing asomewhat U-shaped “slot” or opening in the body of canteen cup insulator210. The U-shaped opening is sized to receive the extended wire handles121 (not shown this FIG.) of canteen cup 120, thereby allowing canteencup 120 to be inserted into canteen cup insulator 210. Wire handles 121are positioned away from the body of canteen cup 120. Once canteen cup120 has been inserted into canteen cup insulator 210, and wire handles121 are positioned away from the body of canteen cup 120, then flap 230may be passed through the openings formed by wire handles 121, therebyengaging wire handles 121. Once flap 230 has been passed through theopenings formed by wire handles 121, flap 230 may be secured in positionby using fastening point 211.

To detach canteen cup insulator 210 from canteen cup 120, the process isreversed and flap 230 is detached from fastening point 211 and flap 230is repositioned so that it no longer engages wire handles 121. Afterdisengagement of flap 230 from wire handles 121, canteen cup insulator210 may then be removed from canteen cup 120.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a close up view of flap 230 of FIG. 3 engagingwire handles 121 of FIG. 1 in accordance with a preferred exemplaryembodiment of the present invention is depicted. As shown in FIG. 4,flap 230 has been threaded through wire handles 121 and affixed tofastening point 211. Flap 230 is tightly secured over wire handles 121by attaching flap 230 to fastening point 211. In this preferredembodiment of the present invention, fastening point 211 comprises astandard hook-and-loop mechanism.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a canteen cup insulator 210 in accordance witha preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown attached withcanteen cup 120 inserted into canteen cup insulator 210 and beingengaged by flap 230. As shown in FIG. 5, flap 230 has been threadedthrough wire handles 121, thereby securing canteen cup insulator 210 tocanteen cup 120. Those skilled in the art will recognize that wirehandles 121 may be on either side of canteen cup 120 and that thevarious embodiments of the present invention are easily adapted foreither configuration.

In summary, the present invention provides an effective and efficientmeans of providing a canteen cup insulator for maintaining thetemperature of the liquid contained in a canteen cup. The variouspreferred embodiments of the canteen cup insulator of the presentinvention provide an insulating blanket around a standard canteen cupand can slow the process of thermal transfer, thereby helping to keepwarm liquids warm and cool liquids cool after the liquid has been pouredinto the canteen cup.

Additionally, at least one preferred embodiment of the canteen cupinsulator of the present invention is formed with an integral foot alongthe lower edge, thereby providing a broader base and additionalstability when the canteen cup is placed on a surface. In this fashion,the liquid or other contents of the canteen cup will be less likely tosuffer from inadvertent spillage due to uneven surfaces.

Lastly, it should be appreciated that the illustrated embodiments arepreferred exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit thescope, applicability, or configuration of the present invention in anyway. Rather, the foregoing detailed description provides those skilledin the art with a convenient road map for implementing a preferredexemplary embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, it should beunderstood that various changes may be made in the function andarrangement of elements described in the exemplary preferred embodimentswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention asset forth in the appended claims.

1. A canteen cup insulator, said insulator comprising: a sidewall, saidsidewall defining a substantially reniform shape, said sidewallcomprising an upper perimeter and a lower perimeter, said sidewalldefining a slot for receiving at least one canteen cup handle; asubstantially reniform bottom surface connected to said lower perimeterof said sidewall, said bottom surface defining an outer perimeter thatis greater than said lower perimeter; and a graduated foot formed wheresaid sidewall is connected to said bottom surface.
 2. The canteen cupinsulator of claim 1 wherein said canteen cup insulator comprises one ofa neoprene canteen cup insulator or a leather canteen cup insulator. 3.The canteen cup insulator of claim 1 further comprising a handleengaging mechanism.
 4. The canteen cup insulator of claim 3 wherein saidhandle engaging mechanism comprises: a repositionable flap; a connectionpoint connecting said flap to said sidewall; and a fastening point, saidfastening point being attached to said sidewall, said fastening pointbeing configured to selectively receive said repositionable flap.
 5. Thecanteen cup insulator of claim 4 wherein said fastening point comprisesa hook and loop fastener.
 6. The canteen cup insulator of claim 4wherein said fastening point comprises a snap.
 7. A leather canteen cupinsulator, said insulator comprising: a sidewall, said sidewall defininga substantially reniform shape, said sidewall comprising an upperperimeter and a lower perimeter, said upper perimeter being grater thansaid lower perimeter, said sidewall defining a slot for receiving atleast one canteen cup handle; a substantially reniform bottom surfaceconnected to said lower perimeter of said sidewall, said bottom surfacedefining an outer perimeter that is greater than said lower perimeter; arepositionable flap; a connection point connecting said repositionableflap to said sidewall; a fastening point, said fastening point beingattached to said sidewall, said fastening point being configured toselectively receive said repositionable flap; and and a graduated footformed where said sidewall is connected to said bottom surface.
 8. Thecanteen cup insulator of claim 7 wherein said fastening point comprisesa hook and loop fastener.
 9. The canteen cup insulator of claim 7wherein said fastening point comprises a snap.
 10. The canteen cupinsulator of claim 7 wherein said slot is a u-shaped slot.
 11. A methodcomprising the steps of: placing a canteen cup into a canteen cupinsulator, said canteen cup insulator comprising: a sidewall, saidsidewall defining a substantially reniform shape, said sidewallcomprising an upper perimeter and a lower perimeter, said sidewalldefining a slot for receiving at least one canteen cup handle; asubstantially reniform bottom surface connected to said lower perimeterof said sidewall, said bottom surface defining an outer perimeter thatis greater than said lower perimeter; and a graduated foot formed wheresaid sidewall is connected to said bottom surface.
 12. The method ofclaim 11 wherein said canteen cup insulator comprises one of a neoprenecanteen cup insulator or a leather canteen cup insulator.
 13. The methodof claim 11 wherein said canteen cup insulator further comprises ahandle engaging mechanism.
 14. The method of claim 11 wherein saidsidewall further comprises a u-shaped slot.
 15. The method of claim 14wherein said handle engaging mechanism comprises: a repositionable flap;a connection point connecting said flap to said sidewall; and afastening point, said fastening point being attached to said sidewall,said fastening point being configured to selectively receive saidrepositionable flap.
 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising thesteps of: positioning at least one canteen handle into said u-shapedslot; positioning said flap through at least one opening in said atleast one canteen cup handle; and fastening said flap to said sidewallby attaching said flap to said connection point.
 17. The method of claim15 wherein said fastening point comprises a hook and loop fastener. 18.The canteen cup insulator of claim 14 wherein said fastening pointcomprises a snap.
 19. The method of claim 15 further comprising thesteps of: removing said flap from said sidewall; and removing saidcanteen cup from said canteen cup insulator.